Sydney is the only real city on Cape Breton — population 30,000 in the urban core, around 100,000 in the surrounding Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Steel and coal built it; today its economy leans on the cruise terminal (the Big Fiddle on the waterfront greets ships), Cape Breton University, and the regional service sector.
Downtown Sydney's Charlotte Street has a small but vibrant restaurant scene, the Membertou Heritage Park sits just outside the city, and Marconi Trail drives east from here through the historic mining communities.